Pages

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Mole Poblano Sauce

I honestly cannot remember when I first had Mexican Mole Poblano Sauce. All I know is that I fell in love with it a long time ago. I love the combination of chilies, cocoa, cinnamon, & ground nuts. Years ago I used to buy a special mole mix made by La Victoria. The dry powdery mix came in a small can and was so easy to use. Unfortunately, La Victoria stopped making that product. I've tried other brands of jarred mole pastes, but, even though the flavor was good, the dry & super dense pastes were hard to work with.

A few years ago my local newspaper, The Sacramento Bee, published a copycat version of the La Victoria mix. Many thanks to Teresa Hoswell of Fair Oaks, CA, who contacted the company and was sent the recipe for making a homemade mole mix.

One of the great things about this mix is that it's so easy to put together. For someone on a low sodium diet, it's a perfect sauce choice too. Very flavorful even without salt. It's great made with chicken or turkey. I usually use chicken thighs, but tonight I used chicken half-breasts. In the past I've used turkey thighs and even turkey drumsticks. It's wonderful for using up leftover chicken or turkey. Something to remember after Thanksgiving.

The chicken/turkey is braised until tender and cooked through. I usually add some finely chopped onion that has been sauteed in a bit of olive oil along with 1-2 cloves of crushed garlic. I braise the meat and aromatics in low sodium chicken broth for about 15-20 minutes before adding the mole mix. Then I simmer everything together until the meat is fully cooked and tender, another 15-20 minutes. I remove the meat and simmer the sauce uncovered until it is thickened. Sometimes I'll add a cornstarch slurry. I like to serve mole with brown rice. One of our favorite Mexican restaurants serves mole enchiladas. Now that is delicious! The combo of chicken, corn tortillas, and mole sauce is heavenly!

Yup, I really like this recipe. I don't know if you remember me using the canned mole dry mix when we lived in San Jose. I was really upset when La Victoria stopped making it. But I got excited when this recipe appeared in the Bee.

I know what you mean. I get discouraged just looking at the ingredient list of authentic mole recipes. This easy one fits the bill for me.

I am so happy to see your post! My mom made taco sauce with La Victoria's canned mole poblano sauce (1/2 can plus ground beef plus canned crushed tomatoes, a little wine and it's FABULOUS. I bought a case of cans just before they stopped producing, but we haven't had "secret sauce" for years. THANK YOU!

PS I still have an empty can -- occasionally I pull it out and try to track down ingredients. The recipe on the can for chicken Mole is:2 1/2 lbs chicken pieces1 can (3 oz) Mole PoblanoBoil chicken in lightly salted water until tender. Drain and reserve broth. Combine 3 cups broth (add water if necessary to make 3 cups) and can of Mole Poblano. Simmer, uncovered, stirring frequently untill smooth and slightly thickened. Add checken and simmer 15 minutes or until heated thoroughly. Makes 4 servings.

Lisa, thanks for your comments. I was so upset when I discovered that La Victoria had discontinued the canned mole sauce mix. But this copycat is almost exactly the same. I love mole sauce, and this sauce is especially nice because it's so flavorful that I can eliminate the salt content without any real loss of flavor.

THANK YOU! I've never tasted mole sauce before, but had wanted to for years. I thought to make it myself, but the recipes I've seen have LONG lists of ingredients and so much prep! I'm SO GLAD to have found this (DH also has high blood pressure)! I'm going to make this tasty recipe tonight and hope it'll be all I hope it to be!

I certainly hope you enjoy this recipe. Since it's so close to Thanksgiving, I think it would be a great way to use up for all that leftover turkey meat. It would make a flavorful change from the usual casseroles & soups.

I have no idea why the product was discontinued, but I can assure you that this recipe produces a mole sauce that tastes exactly the same. The only change I've made is to eliminate the salt, but other than that, this is a really close clone. And it's super easy to put together. Give it a try!

I have tried to contact La Victoria Foods, but am unsuccessful! I cook so much Mexican food for my friends, family and neighbors. I used to beable to find this one of a kind best mole at any local market, but for years it hasn't been available anywhere! I decided to go on line, find the La Victoria website and ask if it will become available again; then, this blog access came up. I am once more excited about cooking with mole, now that there is a "copy cat" recipe in this blog. I have so many recipe variations using this mole PoblanoI am going to follow this recipeand try it to see how close it is to the real thing.

In my pre-low sodium days I used Dona Maria jarred mole sauce, and I agree that it was tasty. But at 400 mgs. sodium per 2 tablespoon serving size, it's a bit too much sodium. The directions call for 1 part mole paste to 4 parts broth, so using plain water or unsalted chicken broth helps. But when I make mole, I want a LOT of sauce. That's why I appreciate the La Victoria clone so much. All the flavor but none of the sodium.

After La Victoria discontinued their mole powder I contacted them. They then made it available by the case for those who inquired. After a while they discontinued that so I asked for the recipe.It was this same recipe and I use it all the time. Maybe if we keep bugging them they'll bring it back.

I know what you mean about hoarding the cans of Mole Sauce mix. But let me assure you that this recipe will give you pretty much identical results. Of course, my version does not have any salt. So, if you're a salt user, feel free to add some to taste. I hope you enjoy it.

I can honestly say that this recipe is an almost perfect duplicate of the La Victoria mix. I looked at the product you linked to. The ingredients sound like they'd make a tasty mole. However, it does have salt in it, so I'd rather use my homemade version. If salt isn't a concern for you, then give it a try. Good luck!

I searched for the La Victoria mole sauce mix in the can for ages and finally gave up. I never liked any of the mole sauces in jars, and I, like so many others, found the various recipes available lacking. I was watching one of my cooking shows today, heard someone refer to mole sauce for the umpteenth time and decided to Google it. Your recipe without salt makes me extremely hopeful. Thank you so much!

This recipe is a dead ringer for the La Victoria mole sauce mix. If you don't have a sodium restriction, add a bit of salt. But even without the salt, it tastes wonderful. And it's so easy to put together. It also uses pantry items you normally have available. Can you tell I'm a big fan?

Join us on Facebook

LOW SODIUM RECIPES, COOKING, SHOPPING, AND DINING

Why low sodium?

Several years ago my husband was diagnosed with congestive heart failure and prescribed a low sodium diet. He's done very well with it, but it has been a tremendous challenge for me. Luckily, I was a good cook to start with and knew how to use a variety of herbs and spices. I've done a lot of experimenting and borrowing from others in order to keep our meals from getting boring. This blog is a record of my adventures with low sodium cooking. Hopefully, it will inspire and encourage others.